TOW Car Hits and Old Flames
by Storywriter254
Summary: Set in S5E1. At Ross's wedding reception, he notices Emily trying to run away. He runs after her and gets in an accident. Rachel still has a hard time letting him go. Meanwhile, an Old Flame of Monica's comes back into her life as she and Chandler try to sort out the status of their relationship.
1. Chapter 1

_**(A/N: I do not own Friends. And just so we're clear, this is not labeled as a Roschel story so please don't think that just because they're in the same main character slots they will end up together. That being said, please enjoy).**_

* * *

Ross Geller was feeling like he was hit in the face multiple times. What was supposed to be the happiest night of his life may just end up being the worst.

He had said Rachel Green's name while saying his vows to Emily, his newlywed wife. He didn't mean to do it and apologized multiple times to his new wife but it didn't matter. The damage was done and now she hated him. Now he was at his reception where everyone was drunk from the Waltham's wine cellar that his parents and them had been fighting over the entire night.

He was waiting outside the bathroom door where Emily was inside. His friend Joey Tribbiani came to tell him that the bride and groom were supposed to have their first dance as husband and wife. He turned to the door, surrounded by his friends that were able to attend the wedding: Joey, Chandler Bing (His college roommate and his best friend), Monica Geller (His sister) and Rachel Green (His ex-girlfriend).

The 30 year old man hesitantly knocked on the door.

"E...Emily….they….they need us to have our first dance" He said. There was no answer. He knocked again.

"Listen, honey. How many times do I have to say it? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do what I did at our wedding. I swear it. What can I do to make it up to you?" Ross said.

There was still no answer. Ross laid his head on the door.

Rachel, despite being emotionally torn about this moment, decided to say something.

"You know, when I ran from my wedding from Barry, I ran from the….bathroom window" Rachel said, widening her eyes at the realization.

Ross stood gobsmacked. He quickly opened the door to find the window opened, a wind breezing through the room.

"...Maybe she just went out for a walk?" Chandler asked, trying to ease the tension.

Ross ran to the window and looked outside. He could see Emily running down alley.

"Emily! Wait!" Ross said.

Emily didn't reply, she just kept running. Ross tussled his way out of the window, falling on concrete pavement.

After straightening himself out, he started running towards his wife.

"Emily, please come back! I'm so sorry!" Ross said.

"Get away from me, you arse. You humiliated me in front of my friends and family!" Emily screamed at him, running across the road by her parent's home.

"I didn't mean to! Please talk to me!" Ross pleaded.

"I don't care! Go away! Leave me alone!" Emily yelled back.

Every word she said tore at his heart but he wasn't letting her go without a fight. He chased after her. He reached the street she just ran across. Normally, he would be cautious and look both ways before crossing but this situation didn't call for precaution…..or so he thought.

As he was crossing the street, a car came by. The driver saw him running across so he slowed down but unfortunately it wasn't enough as it rammed into him at a rate of 25 mph.

His body flew down the street, his body and suit getting ripped and scratched from the concrete road. The worst part about it was he still conscious throughout the whole thing.

Ross groaned heavily, he looked down to see blood trails from the scratches made by the concrete. He also felt great pain in his right arm and leg.

Ross' friends were looking from the bathroom window and they were horrified by the sight.

"OH MY GOD!" Monica said.

Chandler ran out of the bathroom and yelled to the crowd of wandering drunks "Call an ambulance!"

Emily ,who stopped running once Ross was hit, ran to her newlywed husband. She knelt down at his broken looking body.

"Ross! Are you alright?!" She asked. It was a dumb question. Of course he wasn't alright, she thought. He was just hit by a bloody car!

Ross groaned as he answered. "I'll live….mostly"

"I am so sorry I didn't stop. If I had, this probably wouldn't have happened" Emily said.

"Don't blame yourself, Emily. I did this to myself. Besides, I've had worse hits than this" Ross said.

"Really? You have? When?" Emily asked repeatedly.

"Well, try 30 minutes ago when you packed quite a wallop on my stomach" Ross said, chuckling.

Emily cringed at the reminder. "Right…..sorry"

"It's alright…..I deserved it for being such an idiot" Ross said.

The driver of the car came outside his car and ran straight to Ross and Emily.

"Are you alright?" The driver asked, frantically, still shocked by the fact that he hit someone with his car. Something he never thought would happen to him.

"I'll be fine" Ross said.

"No you won't, Ross. You need medical attention" Emily said.

"Well…..that's not a bad idea" Ross said. He groaned more as more pain came to him. He believed his arm and leg were broken.

"What the bloody hell were you doing going off in the middle of the road like that?" The man asked, his voice going from worried to frustrated.

"It's sort of a long story" Ross said.

"Well now my schedule has seemed to open up quite a bit" The man said.

"Yeah...I'm sorry about that. If you'll exchange your information with me, I'll be glad to pay for damages to your car" Ross said.

"Let's not worry about that right now. You need help, son" The man said.

Two people came storming out towards them. Ross looked and saw his mother and father coming towards him.

"Ross! Oh my darling boy!" Judy said. She cried her head into his chest. Ross groaned as the pain from the pressure came to him. He decided not to tell her so she wouldn't feel bad.

"Ross! Are you okay?" Jack asked.

Ross rolled his eyes. He felt that he was going to asked that a lot. "I've been better"

"Well no worries, son. We have an ambulance coming soon. You'll be alright" Jack said.

Ross sighed. "Thanks, dad"

Soon, his 4 friends came running out. Monica knelt down beside Ross. He was starting to lose his vision of the night sky.

"Ross, you are such an idiot!" Monica said, scolding him.

"I would usually come back with some snappy comment but….yeah. I got nothing to say that. You're right" Ross said.

"Don't blame him, Monica. I should have stopped to talk to him about this" Emily said.

"Yeah...you should have" Rachel said, glaring down at her. Emily didn't respond to this and Monica glared at Rachel, facially telling her to knock it off.

Moments later, an ambulance came down to the streets towards the crowded people. Paramedics came out and walked quickly towards the body.

"Step away, please" One of them said. They lifted Ross up by both sides of his shoulder pads and thigh. As they lifted him up, Ross seethed in pain and let out a groan.

"Does it hurt?" Joey asked.

"No, Joey. That groan was a groan of joy and laughter" Chandler said sarcastically.

"Chandler, knock it off. This is not the time for that right now" Monica said.

"Excuse me, may I sit in the back of the ambulance with him? I'm his wife" Emily said.

"Well from the looks of it, it's not too serious. That would be a problem if it was. He actually looks like he got off pretty lucky. If he's fine with it, so are we" One paramedic said.

Emily looked to Ross, who nodded.

"Yes, it's alright with me" Ross said.

Rachel looked at Ross with a look of shock on her face. He was ok with her riding with him to hospital?

Ross didn't notice this look on Rachel's face. She just watched the paramedics place him on a stretcher and load him onto the ambulance. Emily got in afterwards.

The doors were shut and the ambulance drove away to the nearest hospital where the Paleontologist would be looked after.

Jack and Judy went back inside the Waltham residence, quickly planning on going to the hospital to see if their son would be alright. The man parked his card by the sidewalk and went inside with them.

"...Well this could have gone differently" Chandler said, shaking his head.

"Damn, dude. This was supposed to be the happiest day of his life and instead he's being drove off to a hospital" Joey said, exasperated.

"What a bitch…." Rachel said, glaring off in the distance.

Monica looked to Rachel with a look of curiousness on her face.

"Rachel…..what are you doing here?" Monica asked in a sort of hostile manner.

Rachel turned to her best friend with a surprised and confused look on her face.

"What?" She asked likewise.

"I said 'What are you doing here?'. You said you weren't going to come" Monica said.

Rachel suddenly phased out and realized that everyone was looking at her with the same sort of confusion.

"She's got a point, Rach. Why are you here when you said over and over that you weren't going to come?" Joey asked. He didn't want to tell the group why Rachel was here even though he clearly knew. Phoebe did tell him after all.

"Well…..to come to Ross's wedding. I….felt bad about missing it and I realized that I was going to miss his big day" Rachel said, coming up with a swift lie.

Chandler seemed to buy it (Partially), Joey said nothing. Monica clearly didn't believe it as shown by the expression on her face. She thought she had an idea as to why Rachel was here and she was going to get it out of her one way or another.


	2. Chapter 2

_**(A/N: I do not own Friends)**_

* * *

It was 30 minutes after the accident. The reception sort of died down after what happened. The only people who were still there were the group, Ross and Monica's parents and the man who hit Ross. The Walthams were downstairs in the wine cellar, making good use of it, no doubt.

Jack was on the phone with a representative from the hospital.

"Alright…..I understand. Thank you" Jack said then hung up the phone. He turned to see everyone staring at him, waiting to see how their favorite geek was doing.

"He's going to be fine. He'll just need to spend the next few weeks in arm and leg cast" Jack said. When he had this, everyone gave a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank God" Monica said.

"Thank God indeed. I thought I did him in pretty good" The man said.

"Again, we're very sorry about what happened. We thought we taught him better than to go out in the road like that" Judy said.

"Don't blame him, madam. People do crazy things when they're in love" The man said.

Rachel seethed quietly in anger and frustration. Ross was NOT in love with this English brat. He only thought he was. She was going to prove everyone wrong (As if him saying her name wasn't enough for them to realize it).

"Well if you would give us some contact information, we'd be happy to pay for the damages to your car" Jack said.

The man waved him off. "That's not necessary. There's not much damage on the car anyway. I'll live. I'm just happy he's going to be alright"

"Well that's quite generous of you" Judy said.

"It's fine. Really. As a matter of fact, I would like to visit him in the hospital sometime tomorrow to see how he's doing" The man said.

"I'm sure he would like that. Thank you very much" Jack said, appreciatively.

"Again, it's not a big deal. Anyway, I guess I'd better be off. I have some other matters to attend to tonight" The man said.

"We'd better be off too. We have to go meet our son. Kids, we'll see you sometime later" Jack said.

After some goodbyes and good nights, the 3 of them left together. Only Ross's friends remained.

"Well this sucks" Joey said.

"Yeah. It really does but in the end, he's lucky he isn't in a coma and he'll only have to wear a few casts for a couple of weeks. Also, him and Emily are actually going to talk to each other now and come to an understanding" Chandler said.

"That's true. While we may not see it, this may be a blessing in disguise for Ross" Monica said.

After a mutual agreement between 3 of the 4 friends, Rachel had her mouth wide opened at what she was hearing.

"Are you guys crazy?! Do you not just see what happened? He was just run over by a car! And she made him do it. How can you just sit here and call this a 'blessing in disguise' like that?!" Rachel asked.

"Rachel, we're not glad Ross got run over. We're just saying that he's going to get more out of this than he's losing. Can you imagine how it would have gone if he hadn't?" Chandler said.

"Yeah. They're going to talk things out and make up. That's good, right?" Joey asked.

"Well….I guess so but she just tried to run away from her own wedding. What kind of person does that?" Rachel asked.

This question caused her to get some knowing looks thrown her way.

"Hey! Me running away from Barry and I's wedding is different and you know it! I didn't love Barry. Emily supposedly loves Ross yet she still ran off?" Rachel asked.

"She was distraught, Rachel. She probably needed some time for herself. I don't even know how I would react if my husband said someone else's name at my wedding" Monica said.

"Besides, she seems to be regretting it now. She went with him to the hospital, didn't she?" Chandler asked.

"Well she should be regretting it….she….it just wasn't right for her to do" Rachel said.

"Rachel, let's just stop this, shall we? They're going to work it out. Aren't you happy about that?" Monica asked.

Rachel stammered for an answer but she eventually came around to 'yes'.

"Alright then. Let's get ready to go to the hospital to see Ross" Monica said. She got even more suspicious to Rachel's true intentions to being here after her little outburst. It was almost like she didn't want this marriage to work.

Her suspicion was kind of true as Rachel still loved Ross and wanted him for herself. She loved him and she knew Ross loved her back. Like Phoebe always said: They're lobsters! They were destined to be together no matter what anyone said. Especially that jerk from the plane that called her a horrible person. Who was he to get in the middle of her love life?


	3. Chapter 3

_*Hospital*_

Ross was lying in a hospital bed, his right arm and leg were both in casts. He had gone to sleep for a little while for rest recovery but Emily was by his side, holding his hand (The non broken one) throughout the whole thing. She kissed it every once in a while.

She felt awful. If she hadn't run away, this probably wouldn't have happened. Why did she have to do what she did? Why couldn't she have just stopped and listened to what he had to say? Damn her for getting so emotional about this whole thing.

A few moments later, Ross woke up from his little catnap. He turned to see Emily, still in her wedding dress, holding his hand. He gave a little smile.

"Hi" He said.

Emily moved close and kissed his cheek.

"Are you feeling alright, Ross? Do you need your pillows to be fluffed? Do you need water? Do you want to watch television? The remote controller should be here somewhere" Emily said, looking around.

"Emily! The only thing I want right now is for you to know how much I love you and to know that what happened at our wedding tonight means nothing. At all" Ross said.

They looked at each other in the eye for a minute before Emily looked down and gave a sigh.

"I suppose it didn't…..but I'm still worried, Ross. Why did you say her name? Why hers of all people?" Emily asked.

"Emily, she showed up just as the wedding was about to start. I didn't think I was going to see her. When I saw her, the fact that she was here after giving every indication she wasn't going to be stuck in my mind" Ross said.

"I guess I can understand that, Ross but this isn't just an average girl in your life. This is an ex-lover of yours. You used to have a relationship with her. I mean, would you have said Phoebe's name if she had come instead of Rachel?" Emily asked.

"Well probably not but that doesn't matter. Emily, there will always be a part of me inside that loves Rachel just like there will probably always be something in you that loves Collin or Liam but right now: I love you. There is no one else I would want to be with right now. I asked you to marry me, not Rachel. I planned a wedding with you, not Rachel. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, not Rachel…..well….I mean Rachel will always be a dear friend in my life but you get my point" Ross said, awkwardly putting in that last point.

Emily gave a slight giggle. She always adored his little awkward moments. It's what made him who he was.

"Well….alright. I forgive you" Emily said.

Ross smiled. "...Thank you"

Emily leaned in and kissed Ross on the lips, something she thought she was going to do at the altar, not inside a hospital. However, this worked just as well.

When they parted, Ross said "Well this has certainly been an interesting wedding"

"You're telling me. It's sort of like something you see in a really bad romance film" Emily said.

They both gave a chuckle and kissed each other again.

As they were kissing, a nurse came inside.

"Mr. Geller-oh my!" She said, stepping back a bit.

Ross and Emily parted and turned to the nurse.

"Well dear me. I'm sorry to have interrupted" The nurse said, flushing.

"No, you didn't. It's alright. What is it?" Ross asked, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, your mother and father are here and it looks like they have gifts for you. Should I let them in?" The nurse asked.

"Oh, of course. Yes. Also, if my friends come along too, you can let them in as well" Ross said.

Emily suddenly gave an uncomfortable look and shifted in the seat she was sitting in. Ross noticed.

"Emily, what's wrong?" Ross asked.

"Well…..To be honest, I don't really think they have the best feelings for me right now. I don't know whether or not I should be worried" Emily said.

"Emily, running out in the middle of the road was my own dumb fault" Ross said.

"Well you may have run out in the street but they probably think I caused it" Emily said.

"Emily, you did not cause this. Everything that happened tonight is on me and if they think differently, then believe me: I'll set them straight. You have nothing to worry about" Ross said.

Emily stayed silent before nodding.

Moments later, Jack and Judy Geller came in, Jack carrying a get well soon balloon and Judy carrying flowers and a box of frosted cookies.

"Hey, bud" Jack said.

"Hey dad" Ross smiled.

Judy put the cookies and flowers on Ross' bedside and gave her beloved son a hug.

Ross groaned a little. "Mom, that's my bad side"

"Oh! Sorry, sweetheart" Judy said.

"It's alright. It's the good kind of pain….a love pain" Ross said.

"Did the doctor say how long you need to be in a cast?" Jack asked.

"A few weeks though I'll be free to go in the next three days" Ross said.

"Well at least it wasn't as bad as it could have been. You're very lucky that you ended up with just a few casts" Judy said sternly.

"What were you thinking going off like that?" Jack asked, getting upset.

Ross simply shrugged. "I guess I wasn't"

Jack and Judy just looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Well we're just happy you're alright and we hope you'll use this as a lesson for the future although we didn't expect you to need the lesson of looking before crossing at the age of 30" Jack said.

Ross rolled his eyes. He still had to deal with lectures at his age.

"Mr. and Mrs. Geller, I want to apologize for the way I acted tonight. I overreacted. I sort of feel responsible" Emily said.

Judy went and hugged Emily. "It's alright, dear. You don't have to apologize. You didn't say the wrong name tonight"

Ross closed his eyes, mostly annoyed, slightly ashamed.

"Thanks, mom" Ross said, sarcastically.

"Oh, I know it was just an accident, dear. I know you didn't mean anything from it" Judy said, patting Ross on the head which caused him to roll his eyes.

"Well I appreciate you thinking that...however, I don't think my in-laws feel the same" Ross said, smiling.

Emily leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, darling. I'll deal with them myself"

"I'm still not paying for their wine cellar. What a ridiculous thing to make someone pay for" Jack said, rolling his eyes half in anger, half in frustration.

"Dad, knock it off. The no grandchildren threat is still on the table" Ross said sternly.

Jack sighed. "Alright, son. For you and my new daughter in law, I'll lay off"

After a few more minutes of talking, Jack and Judy decided to call it a night. They said they would be back in the morning to check on Ross.

"Thanks. Good night" Ross said.

"Good night, Ross" Judy said, kissing his head.

"Hang in there, pal. You'll get through this" Jack said, patting Ross's shoulder. They then each gave Emily a hug which kind of surprised her but nevertheless she welcomed. With that, they left the room.

"That went better than I expected" Emily said.

"Well you shouldn't have expected any different. You didn't do anything" Ross said.

"You keep saying that but I still can't help but feel guilty and your friends probably think I'm responsible for it anyway" Emily said.

"Well I don't care about them right now, Emily. Right now: My only concern is you and if they have a problem with it, then it's something they need to deal with. Not us" Ross said.

Emily smiled a sad smile. "Well thank you, darling. I appreciate that"

She went back to holding his hand.

Ross's eyes widened, suddenly remembering something. "I guess this means our honeymoon is off"

Emily suddenly remembered as well. "Oh, that's right….we were supposed to go to Athens together"

"I'm so sorry, sweetie" Ross said, feeling very guilty.

"Oh don't worry about it, darling. The only place I want to be right now is by your side. I don't care where we are. Besides, we can have a honeymoon anytime. Maybe when we go back to New York and you get better, we can plan another one. Preferably somewhere tropical….so you can see me in two piece swimwear?" Emily said, suggestively with a smile.

Ross grinned. "Oh, that's something I can't wait to see"

They gave each other another kiss. As they were kissing, the door opened again.

Ross's friends came inside. The 2 newlyweds were so focused on each other that they didn't even notice them come in.

3 of the 4 smiled at the sight. 1 didn't. One could probably tell who's who in this scenario.

After about 15 seconds, Chandler cleared his throat loudly as it was clear they weren't going to part any time soon.

Ross and Emily parted then looked towards the group.

"Oh...hey guys" Ross said.


	4. Chapter 4

"You want us to come back later? We know how romantic hospitals can get" Chandler said, sarcastically at the newlyweded couple.

Ross rolled his eyes but smiled nevertheless. "Get in here, all of you"

The 4 friends came in. The 2 women sat down in chairs while the 2 men stood up. Joey turned and saw the cookies Judy left Ross and suddenly, his face went blank…..he wanted one….or some of them…..all of them.

"Joey? Are you alright?" Ross asked, noticing Joey's face.

"...Oh! Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. What about you? You look beat up like hell" Joey said.

Ross shrugged. "I'm fine"

"Do you need anything, Ross? Do you want a water or a coke? How about I call the nurse to bring you some fluffier pillows?" Monica asked.

Ross rolled his eyes. "No thank you, mother"

It was Monica's turn to roll her eyes. "Shut up. You scared all of us when you got hit"

"Sorry...I wasn't thinking" Ross said.

"Clearly. We're just glad you're going to be alright" Monica said.

"So am I" Ross said with a cheeky grin.

"So….the two of you clearly worked out your differences" Rachel said.

"Yes, we did. Tonight was an accident, I realize that now" Emily said.

"Yes…I was just so shocked to see you, Rach. I….didn't expect you to come. You didn't call or anything" Ross said.

"Well….I mean I just wanted to surprise you" Rachel said, adding in a little nervous giggle.

"Mission accomplished" Ross said, giving a thumbs up.

Monica shot Rachel a bit of a knowing look….she kind of had an idea as to why Rachel was really here.

"Well, we're glad everything turned out all right. We were kind of worried that things were going to get rough between the two of you" Chandler said.

"It probably may have. After we get back to New York and Ross gets better, we'll go back to being a happy couple" Emily said.

Ross smiled as he leaned in and kissed Emily again. Rachel kind of winced in disgust at this. Monica noticed and gave a little pinch to Rachel's arm.

Rachel let out a little yelp and turned to see Monica giving her a tiny glare. She looked at her confused but sort of got the message.

"Are you alright, Rach?" Ross asked, noticing her little cry.

"Oh, I'm fine….just recovering from a cramp from the flight" Rachel said.

"Well I'm sure after a good night's sleep, you'll be alright" Emily said.

"Hey, that reminds me: What about your guys' honeymoon suite?" Chandler asked, suddenly getting an idea.

"Well the possibility of me leaving tonight is pretty much zero and even if I could….I'm currently not able to…..perform. So...yeah, it's pretty much going to be vacant tonight" Ross said.

Chandler nodded and when he was sure no one was looking, he patted Monica on the side. When Monica turned towards him, he gave her a grin. She gave him the opposite and shook her head.

Chandler suddenly looked confused. No? He was used to get rejections for sex….just not with someone he's had sex with before….well not from someone who he assumed enjoyed it which she certainly did…..he thought.

"Excuse us. Monica and I have to discuss something" Chandler said, holding Monica's arm.

"We do?" Monica asked.

"Yeah….something important" Chandler said.

"What do you need to talk about?" Ross asked, completely oblivious to what they were talking about (As was everyone else).

"...What to get you for a wedding present, of course!" Chandler exclaimed, lying swiftly.

"Oh…..alright then. Go on….and for the record, my coffeemaker broke last week and I kind of need a new one so….just leaving you with that" Ross said, winking.

Chandler gave a wink back. "You got it, pal. Now come on, Monica. Let's go talk about Ross's wedding gift"

Him and Monica walked out the door and they went into the hallway. They walked to a private area where they could talk.

Joey took a look back at the cookies then at Ross. "So…..your parents got you cookies, huh?"

* * *

_*Monica and Chandler*_

When they stopped, Monica gave Chandler an annoyed look.

"Alright, Chandler. What do you really want to talk about?" Monica asked.

"Monica, let's go to their honeymoon suite! It's perfect for us right now!" Chandler said with a grin.

"Chandler, no. I mean, if Ross wasn't at a hospital right now, maybe but right now it doesn't feel right to go fool around while he's like this" Monica said.

"Oh come on, you heard him. He's fine. He just needs to be in a wheelchair for a few weeks. That's not a big deal" Chandler said.

"Chandler, it is a big deal! Do you know what it's like not to be able to use your leg? It's going to be a nightmare!" Monica said.

"Well we can't do anything about it right now. Let's go and enjoy ourselves. This is a wedding, isn't it? Romance in the air, wine glasses clinking. It's a perfect opportunity for us" Chandler said.

"Chandler, I'm sorry. Not tonight….maybe sometime later, ok? I need to go back to the room" Monica said. She left him standing there baffled while she started walking back to Ross's room.

Chandler leaned back against a wall. He couldn't believe this. They had been best friends for years and now after getting together, she's lost interest. What sense does that make? It sort of made him wonder if they were even a couple. I mean, they didn't talk about anything official. Was it the real deal or just a one night stand? Either way, it was clear he wasn't 'getting lucky' tonight. He pouted and started walking back to the room, slowly following Monica. What made this worse was that now he had to buy Ross a coffeemaker. He lowered his head down as he walked back to the room.

* * *

_*Ross's room*_

Monica and Chandler came back to the room one at a time. Chandler was moping on his way inside but no one seemed to notice. Joey was still bothering Ross about the cookies.

"Joey, you can take the whole box. It doesn't matter to me" Ross said, annoyingly.

Joey, excited, grabbed the box and started going at the cookies. Rachel tried to reach for one before Joey swiped at her hand.

"These are mine" Joey said. He didn't like sharing food.

"So….how does it feel? Being married and everything? Kind of scary, right?" Rachel asked, giving a fake smile.

"Well at first I didn't feel right because of….what happened but now that we're going to work things out, it feels right again" Emily said. The newlyweds leaned in and kissed each other once more.

Rachel twitched. She knew she had initially decided to keep quiet but she wasn't taking this anymore.

"Yeah, that's great…..do you ever think you may have gone a little too quick with this? I mean, you just met 2 months ago. Don't you think you should wait a year at least?" Rachel asked.

Ross and Emily looked at each other shrugged.

"I don't think how long we've known each other really makes much a difference. There's no such thing as a 'right time' to get married. I dated Carol for 4 years before I proposed to her and we ended up divorced" Ross said.

"Also, my dad and birth mother knew each other for only 4 months before they got engaged and they ended up a happy couple….before she died" Emily said, suddenly looking pretty sad. Ross just patted her hand and rubbed it in a caring manner.

"...Well….I'm sorry to hear that" Rachel said, for more reasons than one.

"Excuse me, I have to use the ladies room. Rachel, would you come with me, please?" Monica asked, getting up while smiling sweetly (And cheesy).

"Hm? Oh no thanks, Mons. I'm good" Rachel said.

"Rachel….I kind of insist you do. We need to powder our noses. Remember?" Monica asked.

"Powder our noses? What are you talking ab-" Rachel attempted to ask before Monica lifted her up forcefully by the arm and squeezed it tight.

Rachel let out a little yelp before she looked at Monica giving her the evil eye. The Personal Stylist from Bloomingdale's skin went white(r than usual).

"Oh…..right. I forgot. We have to go powder our noses. We have to do that at least once a day or our noses…..won't be as powdered looking. See you soon!" Rachel said.

Monica and Rachel then left the room with half the time Monica pulling her out and the other half Rachel trying to keep up with Monica's speedy exit.

Joey turned to look at Emily with a funny look. "Why can't you women ever just go alone?"

Emily just looked at Joey funny without responding.


	5. Chapter 5

Monica dragged Rachel down into an empty hallway. Rachel was trying her best to keep up as the feeling of being forcefully dragged across the hospital.

"Good lord, Mon. What is the matter with you?" Rachel asked when they stopped. She rubbed her arm up and down as it was in pain from being dragged.

"Rachel….I think I know why you're here" Monica said with an expressionless face.

Rachel suddenly got 75% confused, 25% nervous.

"...Wh-what are you talking about? I told you why I'm here. To see Ross and Emily get married" Rachel said.

"Rachel….let's stop with this, please. You may be able to fool the guys but you're not going to get by with me….you came to break up this wedding, didn't you?" Monica asked.

Rachel's face dropped as she stammered for an answer.

"N...n-no. I wouldn't do such a thing at all" Rachel said, trying to play the innocent card.

"Oh, really? Rachel, when we left 2 days ago, you were dead set against coming and now all of a sudden you come unannounced, no phone call or anything just as the wedding happened. You aren't dressed for the occasion at all. You just all of a sudden change your mind? And now you're being hostile to Emily and asking if they're scared of being committed to each other. We've been friends practically our entire lives, Rach. I think I know you well enough to know when you're planning something and when you're full of shit" Monica said.

Rachel, backed into a corner had nowhere else to go.

"...alright. I came to tell Ross I love him" Rachel said, solemnly. She looked down to the ground.

Monica closed her eyes and pounded her fists down in pure frustration. "Damn it, Rachel!"

"Why are you so mad? I didn't go through with it" Rachel said, defensively.

"You're still trying to get in between them, Rach. Seriously, why do you always have to do this? Why do you always have to get in between Ross's relationships?" Monica asked.

"I don't get in between his relationships" Rachel said.

Monica raised her eyebrows in an 'are you serious' manner. "Really? And convincing Bonnie to shave her head?"

"...Ok, I may have had something to do with that but Mon, don't you see? Him saying my name showed how much he really loves me! We're meant for each other! Come on, you were one of our biggest supporters. We were practically sisters in law" Rachel said, excitedly.

"Rach….I loved it when you guys were together. I really did and I'm still sad you guys broke up….but he's married now and I have to support it. Besides, Emily's a great woman and she loves him. He seems to love her too" Monica said.

"Monica, he doesn't love her. She's just a rebound from me" Rachel said.

"Rachel….they're married. They're husband and wife. This isn't a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship anymore. There are no rebounds here. They're bounded to each other for life….till death parts them, remember?" Monica asked.

"Well...sure that's one way to look at it but-" Rachel tried to say.

"Rachel!…..No. I'm sorry but you have to stop this. It's over" Monica said.

Rachel looked like someone punched her in the face. Monica's words hurt not because they were harsh but because she knew it was true. Ross was indeed a married man…..she was too late.

Rachel looked down to the ground. A few tears flowed down her face.

Monica noticed and took pity on the sight before her. She stepped towards Rachel and gave her a deep hug. Rachel slowly returned it. The chef allowed the broken-hearted woman to cry on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, sweetie…..It might not make you feel any better but I wish you guys had worked out in the end" Monica said.

"...So do I" Rachel said.

They stayed in that position for a little while. Occasionally, a doctor or nurse would pass by but it didn't matter to the both of them.

Monica gave a little kiss to Rachel's head and pulled back. Rachel's face was still faced to the ground.

"...Why don't we have a little slumber party tonight in my hotel room? It'll be like old times. You know when you came over to my house, we'd stay up all night telling scary stories, talking about guys, watching movies. Remember?" Monica said, trying her best to cheer Rachel up.

Rachel gave a little smile at the memory. "...Yeah….yeah I do"

"Good. Now come on and smile. It'll be alright. You're just going through a phase. It'll go away, I promise you. Now let's go back to the room and let's have a good time. We're in London, Rach. One of the most cultured cities in the world. We'll make a day of it tomorrow" Monica said.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah...that'll be good"

They both started walking back to Ross's hospital room, hand in hand. Rachel was still visibly upset and why shouldn't she be? A man who she was in love with slipped away from her and now he was gone forever….no. No he wasn't, she thought. Sure, being married made him less available but he wasn't gone. He just needed to be reminded of the good times they had as a couple, that was all. They were meant for each other. She knew it. Emily was just a barrier between them, she wasn't going to let her get in the way.

She would bide her time and strike when the time was right. It might not be in the next hour, the next day, the next week, the next month, maybe not even in the next year but her and Ross were going to be together again. No matter what it took.


	6. Chapter 6

The rest of the night was a bit of a bust for almost everyone. Chandler was still upset about Monica not wanting to be with him that night. Monica spent all night trying to cheer Rachel up (Who despite had a newfound confidence in winning Ross back, was still heartbroken over seeing him with Emily). Rachel had spent half the night crying and the other half sleeping.

Joey was really the one who had a good night. On the way back to the hotel, he ran into Emily's bridesmaid: Felicity. They went back to her house where no doubt very explicit things happened. That made Chandler's night even worse. First he wasn't getting any 'lovin' and now he didn't even have his best friend to talk with. What a hell of a trip this turned out to be, thought Chandler.

Well he wasn't going to give up. He wanted something more with Monica. The night they had together was the best night he had ever had with a woman ever. No one else compared. Not any of his one night stands, not Kathy, CERTAINLY NOT Janice. He felt like this could be the one and he wasn't about to let this go.

The next morning, he walked to Monica's hotel room and knocked on the door. He was holding a bouquet of Pink Roses he had picked up from a floral near the hotel and had a big smile on his face. Nothing could go wrong now.

As he thought this, Rachel opened the door with puffy eyes, wearing a bathrobe. Chandler's smile went away rather quickly. He had forgotten about Rachel staying at Monica's.

"Chandler? What's going on?" In a bit of a raspy voice. It was clear she had just woken up some time ago.

"Oh….uh….I just came….to say good morning" Chandler said in an obvious attempt at a lie. Although since Rachel's mind was mixed between being tired and sad, she didn't seem to notice. There's one thing she did notice though.

"What's with the flowers?" She asked.

Chandler looked between the roses and Rachel and tried as quickly as he could to come up with a response.

"These….are for Ross, you know? I thought Roses might make him feel better today about last night" Chandler said.

Hearing his name, Rachel scoffed. "What's the point of that? He's just going to give it to his precious little wife, Emily. That's all he seems to care about nowadays. Emily this, Emily that. Why not just make her Queen of his life, already?"

Chandler didn't know how to respond to this. "Uh…...well, I mean like you said, she is his wife. She pretty much already is"

"Who asked you?!" Rachel asked in a hostile tone which made the 29 year old step back a bit.

"...Sorry I mentioned it?" Chandler said. He was in between a rock and a hard place here.

"_Rach! Who's that at the door?" _A familiar voice called. Chandler smiled at the sound of her talking.

"It's Chandler! He's annoying me" Rachel said which caused Chandler to raise an eyebrow. This was a wild guess on his part but he was thinking Rachel was probably upset.

"_Let me talk to him. Go lay back down in bed" _Monica said as she came to the door and directed Rachel away from the door. Her and Chandler were left alone.

Chandler's smile came back. This was more like it. His plan was back in action.

"Hey, Chandler. Sorry about Rachel. It's a bit of a long story as to why she's so upset. Anyway, what's up? What's with the flowers?" Monica asked.

"Well….I brought these for you, actually" Chandler said. He presented Monica with the bouquet which she took with a smile on her face.

"How sweet, Chandler. Thank you" Monica said, sniffing the roses.

"No problem" Chandler said, smiling confidently.

"...is that all you wanted?" Monica asked after a short but awkward pause.

"Well….no….I wanted to know if you were doing anything later tonight?" Chandler asked, stammering through his question.

Monica gave a little smile. "Are you asking me out on a date, Chandler?"

"Well…..yeah. Yeah I am. What do you say? Ross is going to be fine and the other night was amazing, wasn't it?" Chandler asked.

Monica gave a slight nod. "Yeah. It really was but I don't know, Chandler. I was kind of drunk that night and I'm not really sure about us, you know? You don't exactly have the best track record in relationships"

"Well no, but who does? And I've tried to make some of my relationships work. I tried with both Kathy and Janice and they both ended up cheating on me and leaving me" Chandler said.

"Yeah, I know that….but you know, the other night was kind of the first night I ever felt about you that way. If we do try and give us a shot, how would we know it would even work?" Monica asked.

Chandler shrugged. "We don't…..but there's no harm in giving it a try, is there? I mean, we've been friends for god knows how long. If this works out, this could be a magical thing for the both of us"

Monica gave a slight giggle. "Well….alright. I'll go out with you tonight, Chandler"

Chandler gave one of the biggest grins he ever had and gave Monica a big hug.

"Thank you, Mon!" Chandler exclaimed.

"Now come on, Chandler. Let's not make a scene here. Rachel is half-sleeping in our bed. Besides, there's nothing official between us yet. We're just going to see how things work out tonight first. Understand?" Monica asked her in her typical mother like tone.

Chandler nodded and stood back. "Got it. So….I'll pick you up tonight?"

After a slight pause, Monica nodded. "Yeah...7?"

"7 is good" Chandler said.

"Alright. Good. Now go on and let us get dressed. We're going to visit Ross in a little while and we're all going together" Monica said.

"Alright...I'll see you later, Mon" Chandler said. He leaned in and gave Monica a little kiss on the cheek which Monica returned.

After parting, Monica shut the door and Chandler gave a quiet but rather visible fist pump to the ceiling. His night of misery had paid off as he was about to be in a brand new relationship. With one of his best friends, no less.

After his little celebration, he started to walk back to his hotel room. More confident than ever.

About 5 minutes later, a tall man walked down the hall to Monica's room. He was a rather handsome man with a nicely shaped moustache as well. He was about to knock on the door before he stopped himself.

This wasn't right, he thought. He shouldn't do this in a hotel room. He needed to do this somewhere else, somewhere where it was right.

He moved the hand he was about to use to knock on the door back to his side and walked away. It was clear he was a guy on a mission. He traveled thousands of miles to regain the love he had with Monica Geller back and he was going to fight for it.

Richard Burke went to the elevator door to move back down to the lobby. He still loved Monica and he wanted to be with her again.


	7. Chapter 7

Joey met up with the rest of them later in the morning. He had a big grin on his face that suggested he had a pretty good night last night.

"So….how are you?" Chandler asked as Joey just kept grinning like a fool.

"...London, baby!" Joey said.

This caused the group to exchange grinning looks and roll eyes. That was their Joey, alright.

They had arrived to the hospital shortly after. Inside Ross's room, Emily had beaten them there (As expected of course). Her and Ross seemed to be in a deep conversation.

Despite her aching feelings towards this, Rachel kept her cool around them. Her time would come soon enough.

When Ross's eyes turned and saw his friends standing at the door, he invited them inside.

"You're looking better today, Ross" Chandler said.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm lucky I got off as well as I did though. I actually feel more bad about the man who accidentally hit me" Ross said.

"He was very nice. He just left a half hour ago. He wished us luck and actually got us a wedding card" Emily said, passing a card that was on Ross's beside to Monica.

"Aw, how sweet of him" Monica said, smiling as she read the card. She nudged Rachel to read it as well.

"Yeah….very nice" Rachel said, reluctantly agreeing. Monica took this to be slow but steady progress. At least she wasn't being hostile like she was last night.

"So it looks like you guys forgot about that whole name-switch thing, huh?" Joey asked.

Ross rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, Joey. We did"

Emily nodded. "Absolutely. I'm just glad I have the most wonderful and loving husband by my side now. I can't wait until we go back home so I can take care of him"

Her and Ross nuzzled into each other's faces and gave each other small Eskimo kisses.

Rachel breathed slowly in and out but did nothing in reaction to this (Though it was getting harder by the minute).

Joey was feeling the opposite of Rachel on this and playfully suggested that they get a room.

Ross and Emily parted and both looked to the said man.

"You know, Joey, speaking of 'getting rooms', you and Felicity seemed to be having a good time last night" Emily said with a playful grin.

Joey shrugged with a small grin of his own. "What can I say? Me and the ladies get along very well"

"...right before you move on and never call them back" Chandler said.

Joey turned and gave a little glare to Chandler. "Hey! Come on, dude. You have to say this now?"

"Don't feel bad, Joey. Felicity doesn't have the best relationships either. She'll fall for any good looking man at the drop of a hat and then moves on the next one she sees" Emily explained.

Joey then gave a small frown. "Huh…..you know now that you say that, I feel so used now"

This caused the entire room to chuckle. After the laugh died down, they decided to move on to another topic.

"I got off the phone with Phoebe this morning" Ross decided to say to the group. This caused Rachel to widen her eyes and shoot her head up on this revelation, worried as hell that she might have told Ross why she came.

"How is she?" Monica asked. She was very worried about her especially since Rachel left her all alone.

"She's doing alright. The babies are doing very well. Frank Jr. and Alice are going to have 3 little munchkins running about soon enough" Ross said. Rachel gave a silent sigh of relief.

"You know, that reminds me, Rach. Why'd you leave her all alone like that?" Chandler asked.

Rachel looked to Chandler and started searching for a good answer for that.

"Oh….well….I mean I think she'd be alright for a few days" Rachel said.

"I don't know. Maybe we should call Gunther or someone to watch after her. I understand you wanted to be here but Phoebe's in her late stage. She could go into Labor any day now" Chandler said.

Rachel sat down in a chair in a sort of defensive position, her face dropping down.

"Leave her alone, Chandler. She just wanted to come to the wedding. She didn't do anything wrong. I'm actually really touched she wanted to be here as much as she did" Ross said.

Despite being through emotional hell throughout the past few days, she had to smile at this.

"It's my pleasure….I'm happy for you, Ross" Rachel said. She didn't mean it, obviously. She wasn't happy at all. The man she was meant to be with was completely out of reach from her and he didn't realize he was still in love with her.

"So what are your guys' plans for the rest of the day? I know you don't want to stay here with boring old me the whole time" Ross said.

"We don't mind, Ross. We're your friends. Anyways, me and Rach are going around sightseeing today. She didn't get the chance the time she's been here" Monica said.

"I've got plans for tonight" Chandler said with a big grin on his face.

"Hey, I know that grin. Someone got a hot date tonight?" Ross asked with a suggestive smile.

"Eh, sort of" Chandler said, shrugging but still grinning. He didn't want Ross finding out or anyone else finding out for that matter. He didn't exactly know why but he just didn't want them to know. Made the potential relationship exciting.

"Well then, have a nice night. I'm happy for you. You haven't been with someone since Kathy" Ross said.

"Thanks, pal. Appreciate it" Chandler said.

"Who is it with, Chandler?" Joey asked, getting interested. As Chandler's best friend, he was curious and was wondering why he hadn't been informed about this already.

"Hm?...Oh….just a girl I talked with at the rehearsal the other night" Chandler said, telling a half-truth.

"What's her name?" Joey asked.

"Uh…..Well…" Chandler said, stammering. The whole room was looking at him oddly.

"Are you ok, Chandler?" Ross asked.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'm good" Chandler said, nodding.

"You do remember her name, right?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah. Of course I do. It's….uh…" Chandler said.

"Veronica. That's her name" Monica said, cutting in. For some odd reason, she didn't want anyone else finding out either. She still wasn't sure if she could even consider her and Chandler officially together.

The room turned their heads towards the 28 year old chef.

"Veronica? Huh, that's odd. I didn't talk to anyone named Veronica at the wedding. Is she a friend of the family?" Ross asked Emily.

"Not that I know of. Maybe she's one of my mum's friend's daughter or something" Emily said, confused as well.

"Yeah...me and Veronica are going out tonight and going to have a good time tonight" Chandler said, vigorously and awkwardly nodding.

Everyone turned back to Chandler. Seconds of staring later, there were shrugs all around the room. They decided that getting into another one of Chandler's misadventures wasn't worth it.

As they were moving on to a new topic of conversation, a nurse came into the room.

"Mr. Geller? I'm sorry to interrupt but there's someone to see you. He says he's a friend of the family. Should I let him through?" The nurse asked.

Ross raised an eyebrow. A friend of the family? Who could that be? As far as he knew, his parents came by themselves with no guest.

"Uh…...yeah. I guess so. That sounds fine" Ross said.

The nurse nodded and left the room. Looks of confusion were passed from one person to another.

Moments later, a man the group knew quite well came into the room. Particularly, Monica.

"Hey, guys. It's good to see all of you again" The man said.

After a few moments of silence, Monica (Who was in a state of shock and bewilderment) spoke up.

"...Richard?" She asked softly.


	8. Chapter 8

The room was engulfed in silence, the awkwardness level rising to levels that were not experienced by the friends in quite some time.

They were some people that were just emotionally disturbed by this. Monica was one as she had once had a relationship with the man at the door. However, It was Chandler Bing that felt completely broken about this. Just what was _HE _of all people doing here?

"Well…I would say this is awkward but I'm seeing that it's already obvious to everyone here" Richard said.

"It's….good to see you, Richard. Come on in" Ross said.

"Thanks, Ross" Richard said. He walked over to Ross's bedside and shook his non-casted hand.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come to your wedding. I was originally going to come with your folks but too many appointments got in the way. When I heard from your parents last night about what happened, I pushed some back so I could come to see if you were alright. Now that I see you are, I just want to give my congratulations. This is a certainly a big step" Richard explained.

"Thanks, Richard. I appreciate that. This is my wife, Emily" Ross said, gesturing to his newlywed partner.

Richard turned to the woman and smiled. "Pleasure to meet you, Emily. I'm Richard Burke. I'm a friend of Ross's parents"

"Oh. Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Burke" Emily said. She couldn't help but gaze in a dreamily manner at him a little bit. He was a very handsome man.

"Please, call me Richard. Mr. Burke makes me feel old" Richard said.

Emily giggled and a little blush appeared on her face. "Thank you...Richard"

Ross, noticing his wife blush at Richard, tapped on her shoulder.

"Hello. Remember me?" Ross asked with an annoyed smile.

Emily just rolled her eyes and kissed his head. This caused Richard to chuckle.

"It really is good to see you guys again. I haven't been with you guys in one place like this in years. I've missed all of you. Joey, Rachel, Chandler…..Monica" Richard said, greeting everyone else. He gave a slight frown at Monica's name but kept his composure (For the most part, anyway).

"Yeah...it's good to see you too, Richard" Monica said.

There was an awkward silence that filled the room. A few moments later, Monica decided to fill it.

"So….you grew your moustache back" Monica said.

"Yeah. I was going to keep the clean shaven look but too many people kept on asking what happened to my face so I decided to grow it back. Besides, my nose was getting lonely" Richard said. That caused a little chuckle throughout the room but then it died down and the silence came back.

Emily, noticing the tension between Monica and Richard, raised her voice.

"I'm sorry, but is there a problem between the two of you?" Emily asked.

"Hm? Oh no, no! There's no problem….it's just that….well….me and Monica used to…." Richard said.

"We used to date" Monica, finishing her ex-boyfriend's statement.

Emily opened and closed her mouth. A confused look spread across her face.

"You used to date? I'm confused. I thought you said you were a friend of Ross and Monica's parents" Emily said.

"I am. I knew them for a long time" Richard said.

"...But...you used to date Monica?" Emily asked.

"...It's a delicate situation, we're aware. But it's long past us now" Monica said.

"Yeah, totally past. It's been 2 years since they've been together" Chandler said, intervening in the conversation for no apparent reason (At least from the room's perspective).

After weird looks from everyone (Albeit Monica who kind of figured why he was doing it), Richard spoke up again,

"Actually, more like a year and a half. We had a short fling after running into each other in a movie rental store" Richard said.

"Why did the two of you break up?" Emily asked.

"Well….it's complicated" Richard said.

"We...had a bit of a disagreement about our future together" Monica said.

"Oh...well….alright" Emily said. She grew very curious about this as she couldn't imagine even thinking about one of her parent's friends like that. However, she decided to keep quiet.

"So….how have you been, Richard?" Monica asked.

Richard shrugged. "I've been alright"

"Did you meet anyone after we….broke up?" Monica said, almost choking.

Richard simply shook his head. "Couple of dates here and there but nothing serious. How about you?"

"Well, there was this guy named Pete but it didn't work out. We broke up some time ago. Other than that, not really" Monica said.

Chandler grimaced at this, remembering about how they weren't technically a couple yet.

"Sorry to hear it….listen, I was thinking about getting lunch later today. Do you, uh…..want to join me? To catch up?" Richard asked.

Chandler widened his eyes at this question.

Monica stood silent for a minute with her mouth open before she started talking.

"Wow…...uh…...alright. I guess that's fine" Monica said.

Chandler Bing felt sick to his stomach right now. Thank God no one was looking at his face right now. Really?! Lunch?! Just what was going on here?

Richard smiled at Monica's answer (Although it was a little bit cold). "Great. I'm looking forward to it"

"Actually, me and Rachel were going to spend the day together. Do you mind if she tags along?" Monica asked.

Richard gave a slight frown at this question but nodded. "Yeah. That'd be good, too"

Chandler let out a sigh of relief on this which Joey noticed. He nudged his best friend and asked "You alright, man?"

Chandler looked to Joey and after a brief hesitation, he said "Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little woozy"

Joey looked confused. "Woozy from what? You didn't do anything last night"

Chandler was silent for a moment before saying "Woozy from….late night room service and watching hotel movies all night"

Joey looked at Chandler weirdly for a moment before shrugging. With Chandler, it was almost never worth what was on his mind.

"Anyway, it was good to see all of you again. I missed all of you guys. I have to head back to my hotel room. I have to make some calls but Monica, let's meet at a bistro I passed by last night. It looked like a pretty good place to eat. Here, I'll give you the address" Richard said. He got out a pen from his shirt pocket and (With permission) wrote the address on Monica's hand.

"Sounds good" Monica said, nonchalantly.

"Great. Is noon alright?" Richard asked.

"Yeah. Noon is just fine. Me and Rachel will meet you there" Monica said.

"Yeah. I'll meet both of you there. Again, I'll see you guys later" Richard said.

After a round of goodbyes (And a little pout 'bye' from Chandler), Richard left the room.

An awkward silence later, Ross said "Well….what an interesting turn of events"

Rachel stood from her seat and said to Monica "Monica, what are you doing?"

Monica looked oddly at Rachel. "What do you mean?"

"You're honestly going to lunch with him? After everything you've been through?" Rachel asked in an exasperated tone.

Monica looked at her knowingly. As if she was one talk about stuff like this.

"Rachel, it's just lunch. To catch up, you know? Nothing's going to happen. I've put Richard behind me" Monica said.

Chandler beamed brightly at this comment.

"Whatever you say but I don't feel right about this" Rachel said.

"Well if something does happen, you'll be there to get in the middle of it. Like you always do" Monica said with a sweet smile on her face which caused Rachel to give a slight glare and the rest of the room to sit in confusion.

There wasn't any words to describe how Monica felt in this situation. On the one hand, she had a date with Chandler tonight, a guy she's known pretty much half her life and felt like she could start loving in a way she once loved Richard. On the other hand, Richard turns up out of nowhere, a man she once truly loved. She felt a long string of hard decisions to make in the future and none of which she wanted to make.


	9. Chapter 9

Around 11, everyone left the hospital in two groups: Monica with Rachel and Chandler with Joey.

Joey and Chandler went to explore London some more because Chandler felt bad about abandoning him their first day. However, Joey wasn't really appreciative of this right now because Chandler was in a sour mood. For what reason, he didn't know.

"Hey Chandler: Look! It's Big Ben!" Joey said, pointing up at the giant clock as they were passing the Palace of Westminster.

Chandler looked up without an expression change in his face.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever" Chandler said, coldly.

Joey looked at him with an angered expression. "You know what, if you want to go back to the hotel, go! I only agreed to this because we hardly spent any time together this entire trip!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry honey. Let's work this out. I don't want a divorce. Think of the kids" Chandler said, sarcastically with a mock worried look on his face.

"Just what is your problem? You were fine this morning and now you're acting like a total buzzkill" Joey said, exasperated.

Chandler suddenly felt bad. He gave a sigh and said "I'm sorry. I'm just peeved right now"

"About what?" Joey asked.

"Well….about Richard, you know? I mean he just shows up all of a sudden with no warning after 2 years of not hearing from him?" Chandler asked.

"What does it matter? We like Richard, don't we? Remember when you and me saw him as a dad?" Joey asked, giving a chuckle at the memory.

"Yeah...I mean I do like Richard but….I don't know, it just feels wrong, you know? He suddenly comes back, asking Monica on a date like that?" Chandler asked.

Joey shrugged. "It's not really a date. Rachel's going to be there, isn't she? If it's a date, then he's on a date with both Monica and Rachel…..come to think of it: the lucky bastard"

Chandler just looked at his friend with annoyance. "Be serious about this, Joe"

"Why do you care so much, anyway? Since when did you start caring about Monica's love life?" Joey asked.

Chandler stayed silent for a moment. "I don't know…...I mean…..I guess I'm just worried about her, that's all"

He didn't feel right lying like that but he didn't know what else to do. It didn't feel right telling Joey or anyone about him and Monica. At least now right now.

"Well there's no need to worry, Chandler. Monica's a big girl. She can take care of herself. Right now, focus on you and how you're going to score tonight with this Veronica chick" Joey said with a grin.

Chandler looked up in slight confusion. "Who?"

Joey got a confused look on his face. "You know...your date?"

"Oh! Yes, yes! Of course. Yeah. I'm looking forward to it….I really am" Chandler said, practically whispering the 'I really am' part but it was just loud enough for Joey to hear it. This caused his confusion to grow, not shrink.

Chandler was known for acting weird but Joey felt like this was overkill even for him. He'd been acting strange all morning. Why, he had no idea and he was not sure at all if he was interested in finding out.

* * *

_*Bistro* _

Monica, Rachel and Richard were seated together at a table. Monica and Richard were recalling funny memories while Rachel just eating her tomato bisque.

"And when we told my mom and dad about us, remember how Ross just took the bat away from dad?" Monica asked, laughing.

"I'm glad he did. If he didn't, I think I would have known first hand how Jack really felt about us being together" Richard said.

Monica and Richard gave another chuckle. Rachel just joined in out of obligation which both of her tablemates took notice of.

"Sorry, Rach. We're making this awkward for you, aren't we?" Richard asked.

"Hm, oh no. I just love hearing nothing but stories about you two being together while I just awkwardly sit here and eat my soup" Rachel said with a sickly sweet smile.

"You're right, Rach. Richard, let's talk about something else" Monica said.

Richard took a sip of his glass of water and nodded. "Ok. How do the both of you like Ross's new wife?"

This was not the best question to ask given the circumstances.

"...She's nice" Rachel said in an awkward tone, not exactly feeling better about the change of subject.

"Yeah, she really is. They really are a cute couple. They connect so well together" Monica said.

"They must have to get married so fast like they did" Richard said.

"Yeah. Well I think this is going to last this time, I really do. Ross deserves to be happy" Monica said.

"I agree. Even though they're not here with us right now, I'd like to propose a toast to the newlyweds" Richard said, raising his glass of water.

Monica raised her glass as well while Rachel just stayed still. It wasn't before Monica nudged her before she lifted her glass.

"To Ross and Emily: May their marriage be long and filled with nothing but the purest love and happiness God can bestow" Richard said.

They all clinked their glasses (With Rachel's barely even moving from her had) and took a sip of their drinks.

Rachel excused herself to go to the bathroom to let off some enhancing steam building inside her. That left Monica and Richard alone. Monica left a mental note to strangle Rachel the first opportunity she got.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Richard decided to be the one to break the tenison.

"So…..how have you been?" Richard asked.

"I've been good. I got this new job at this Italian restaurant called Alessandro's" Monica said.

"Yeah, I've heard about that. It's been getting some rave reviews ever since they got a new chef. I just didn't know it was you" Richard said.

Monica had to smile at that. She _loved _compliments, especially ones about her food.

"Thank you….so how are things in the Ophthalmologist world?" Monica asked.

Richard shrugged. "Not bad. Same as it's always been I guess"

"That's good. So you haven't found anyone else since me, huh?" Monica asked.

Richard shook his head no. "Not really….to be honest, I sort of fell under pretty bad after we broke up….it wasn't easy getting over you"

Monica nodded. "I understand….If we're being honest here, getting over you was the hardest thing ever. I didn't sleep for days"

"...Do you ever still….think about me?" Richard asked.

Monica looked at him for quite some time before nodding slightly. "Only sometimes…...like I said before, getting over you was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I hardly ever let myself think about it"

This caused Richard's interest to peak. "Oh...listen…..I have to be honest….I didn't really come to see your brother"

Monica's eyebrow raised. "Excuse me?"

"Well no, don't get me wrong. He is part of the reason but there's really one bigger reason why I came…..I came here to tell you that I still love you"


	10. Chapter 10

"HE TOLD YOU WHAT?!" Rachel Green's voice ran across their hotel room. Her voice was so loud in this instance that it actually rang out of the hotel room. Hotel guests walking by gave a confused gaze at the door of Monica and Rachel's room.

"Rach, keep your voice down" Monica angrily whispered.

"Sorry. What happened?" Rachel asked.

"Well…...It was….just completely unexpected...I didn't know what to say" Monica said.

* * *

_*1 hour ago*_

_Monica was stunned by the man's blunt question. She opened and closed her mouth like a trout._

"_Wh-wh-wh-I'm sorry what?!" Monica stuttered._

_Richard looked solemnly at Monica. "I still you, Mon"_

"_...Oh…..Wow…..I…..Wow" Monica stammered. This was not something she was told every day._

"_I know it's not exactly the most appropriate time to be saying this with your brother's condition and all but when we had our last little fling last year, I just fell right down under. I couldn't stop thinking about you and it took me weeks to go back to sleep regularly again. Monica….I….I want us to be together again" Richard explained._

_Monica was rarely speechless but this was just blowing her mind._

"_But….but Richard…..I still want children….you know that, right?" Monica asked._

"_Yes I know, Mon and I'm more open to it. I really am. I mean I still have hurdles to go through but I swear I'll get to the point you are. I mean when I first had Michelle, I wasn't sure I would even like being a parent but when I first held her in my arms, I felt like my eyes were opened to a larger world I never even knew existed. I know I can get to that place again and with you, it will be like my wildest dreams had come true" Richard said._

_Monica, not knowing what else to say, took a giant gulp of her water. A waiter was passing by before Monica forcefully held up her glass to him and said (Almost shouted) "More water!"_

_The waiter looked confused (And a little scared) before taking her glass and going to refill it._

_Monica looked to Richard. "Don't you ever think that there needs to be more alcohol in water?"_

_Richard sighed. "Look, Monica, I know I made this situation a million times more awkward than it already was but I can't help my feelings for you. If you tell me it will never happen, I swear I will leave and never bother you again but I want to hear it from you: Do you still have feelings for me?"_

_Monica stayed speechless again for a few moments before saying "I…..I….I don't know….I mean….you were the best relationship I ever had...the time we had together was like a dream"_

_Richard nodded. "I know….that's why I want it back"_

"_...But I don't know, Richard…...I….I have to tell you something:...I may already be seeing someone" Monica said._

_Richard had to admit: That stung but that didn't mean he was out of the game just yet._

"_...Is it serious?" He asked._

"_...Well….that's kind of why I'm meeting him tonight to find out" Monica said._

_Richard nodded, solemnly. "Anyone I know?"_

"_What do you mean?" Monica asked._

"_Well I mean….is it Joey?" Richard asked._

"_No, of course not!" Monica laughed off, waving her hand at the idea._

"_Is it….Chandler?" Richard asked._

"_...No, of course not!" Monica repeated, obviously sounding less convincing._

_Richard took that as a yes. "Well…...I can see why. Chandler's a good guy…..but…..Monica…..I want to marry you someday. Do you think Chandler wants the same?"_

_This was a question Monica didn't have an answer to. As she was trying to come up with an answer, Rachel was coming back to her seat._

"_Hey, sorry about the wait. That tomato bisque went right through me" Rachel said, lying as she spent most of her time in the bathroom yelling and pulling on her hair at Richard's comments about Ross and Emily._

_Monica and Richard continued to stare at each other. Rachel took notice and asked them if they were alright._

"_...Yeah. Yeah we are, Rach. We just spent the last few minutes….catching up" Richard said._

"_Yeah…..catching up" Monica said._

_Rachel looked confused by their mono toned voices but she decided to let this go for the time being. The three went back to eating, an awkward silence rising amongst them_

_*Present*_

* * *

Monica told Rachel everything that happened (Albeit Having a date with Chandler). Rachel was just stunned.

"Wow….I mean…..just wow" Rachel sighed.

"I know" Monica said.

"What are you going to do?" Rachel asked.

"...I don't know, Rach. I really don't" Monica said.

"Well he says he's more open to children, right? Isn't that what you wanted from him the last time the two of you were together?" Rachel asked.

"Well….yeah but I really don't know, Rach. Getting over Richard was a living hell. If we don't work out again, I don't know what I'll do" Monica said.

Monica sat down in a chair by a desk and laid her face in her hands. She was so torn right now and din't have any clue what to do.

Rachel went up behind her and gave her best friend a hug from behind. She gave her a gentle kiss on her head.

"Listen, Mon. I know I didn't really approve of you and Richard together again before but no matter what you decide, I'll be here to support you" Rachel said.

Monica looked up at Rachel and got up from her seat. They gave each other a long and embracing hug.

"What else did he tell you?" Rachel asked when they parted.

"He told me he was here until tomorrow afternoon and to meet him tomorrow morning at the airport so I can tell him what I decided" Monica said.

"Well you have plenty of time to decide. Why don't we go out to a show tonight and we can enjoy ourselves in the meantime?" Rachel asked.

"Well….Rachel, you see I actually can't…..I have things planned tonight" Monica explained, twiddling her thumbs.

"What?" Rachel asked with a confused look on her face.

"I have….personal things planned tonight...alone" Monica said.

Rachel got even more confused. "Monica, what are you talking about?"

Monica suddenly got defensive. "Look, Rach. I have something planned tonight alright and it's a personal thing. I don't feel comfortable sharing it with you. Let's just drop it. Ok?"

Rachel didn't want to accept that but she apparently didn't have a choice and just agreed. However, there was one thing left on her mind.

"Well what am I supposed to do tonight if you're busy?" Rachel asked.

Monica shrugged. "I don't know. Joey's free tonight. Why not ask him to do something with you?"

Rachel groaned. She loved Joey but he wasn't the one she needed to be with right now.

"Alright, fine. I'll call him up later" Rachel said.

"Alright, good" Monica said. Things were getting out of hand fast for her. However, at least Rachel was getting over the whole Ross and Emily thing and was accepting the fact that they were together…...or so she thought.

Rachel was hoping Monica would be available to calm her down tonight about Ross and Emily. The more she held her feelings in, the crazier she was getting. She wanted badly to tell Ross she loved him and how much she wanted to get back together. However, she was going to give it her all and hold her feelings as best as she could until the right time. The problem was though is that she was one stretch away from going over to the hospital and kissing Ross smack in the face.


	11. Chapter 11

It was around 6:50PM in London. Monica had left for what she called a 'personal thing' and Chandler left for his date with this 'Veronica' woman. Rachel was then left alone with Joey.

Usually, she was happy to spend time around Joey. He was funny and he cared about his friends. However, she felt she needed to be with someone who understood (At least to some extent) what she was going through right now and Joey just wasn't the person.

However, despite this, she went out with Joey for a walk around London. Rachel took in the sights she didn't see when the group first got here. She had to admit, it was quite a sight as a first time visitor. She even took a few pictures with Joey's camera.

Joey was usually the most outspoken person in the group and he was never afraid to speak his mind with his friends. However, in this particular case with Rachel, he was a bit nervous to utter a word. He was the first one to be informed that Rachel set out to London to ruin the wedding and he was supposed to stop her. Despite the fact that the wedding was over and that Ross and Emily had worked things over, he still felt responsible for keeping Rachel under control.

"Hey! Look over there, Joey! The London Eye!" Rachel said, pointing over to the giant wheel.

"...Yeah. Very nice" Joey said in a mono toned voice.

Rachel turned her head to Joey and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you alright, Joey? You're not bored, are you? I'm sorry if you are. I know you toured the city already but I didn't get the chance to. We can do something else if you want" Rachel said.

"No, that's fine, Rach. I'm not bored" Joey said.

"Then what's up? You're not acting yourself tonight" Rachel said.

Joey shrugged. "Well, I don't know. Just one of those nights, you know?"

Rachel shrugged. "I guess so"

They continued to tour around the city, taking in the famous and historical sights. As they walked down the street, they saw a nearby cathedral's door open. A newlywed husband and wife came down the steps and toward a white limousine. Rachel saw the bride throw her bouquet to a crowd of women, who then fought to be the first one to grab it.

Rachel had to admit, she was feeling a little better after touring around London but after seeing the newlywed couple together, smiling and laughing and then being driven off made her go back to feeling like…..well, shit.

"Rach…..you alright?" Joey asked, noticing her facial expression.

"...Joey…...can you answer me something as honest as you can?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah. Of course I can. You're a friend" Joey said.

"...How do you feel about Ross being married to Emily? Do you honestly believe they're right for each other?" Rachel asked.

Joey dreaded talking about this and hoped it wouldn't be brought up. However, he answered the question and like he was asked, as honestly as he could.

"Well, at first Ross wasn't even talking about marriage when he was with Emily. He just wanted her to move in with him. Me and Chandler tried to talk him out of it because it seemed too soon but you know, once he and Emily told us he was getting married, I could see how happy he was to tell us this. This was the first time in a while I've seen Ross truly happy, you know? Then I started thinking that maybe this could be the one. The relationship that Ross could have that never was when he was with Carol or Julie or Bonnie or….well….you" Joey explained.

Rachel sighed and sat on the sidewalk. Joey looked down at her with a bit of sympathy. He sat down beside her and placed her arm around her shoulder.

"...I take it you're not taking Ross getting married well, huh?" Joey asked.

Rachel looked up at Joey and shook her head no in a very non-assuring manner

"Oh no, that's not it, Joey. Of course I'm happy for Ross. I mean, we agreed that us being…..together wasn't working out so we had to start seeing other people" Rachel said, choking at the last part of her statement.

Joey listened and decided he couldn't hold this in anymore.

"Look, Rachel….I know you're upset about this….and I know why you really came here" Joey said.

Rachel gave him a confused look. "...What?"

"Phoebe called me a few days ago. She told me you were coming to tell Ross you loved him" Joey explained.

Rachel sat, shell-shocked at the news. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, trying to come up with something to say. Joey beat her to the punch.

"Rach, listen. I know you're feeling upset right now and I know you have strong feelings for Ross but you've got to move on from him. He's happy where he is. You should find someone that makes you happy" Joey said.

Rachel sat silently for a moment, staring at Joey before speaking.

"Joey…..you know I love you but you don't know what it means to be in love with someone, I mean truly in love with someone. You don't know how I feel right now" Rachel said.

"Rach, that is not fair at all. I admit, I haven't had the relationship you and Ross had but I know that if you truly love someone, you've got to let them go" Joey said.

"Why should I let him go, Joey? We're meant for each other! We were practically destined to be together! And you know, there's just something about Emily I just don't like about" Rachel said.

Joey rolled his eyes. "What a shock"

"What?" Rachel remarked at Joey's sarcastic tone.

"Rach, you've had a problem with every serious girlfriend Ross has had. Remember Julie? Julie was nothing but the sweetest girl in the world to all of us and you constantly called her names behind her back, you were rude to her and never once did you have anything nice to say about her" Joey said.

"Hey, that is not true" Rachel said, defensively.

"Really? Name one time you were nice to her" Joey said.

"...I thanked her for tying my apron" Rachel said, weakly.

Joey rolled his eyes. "Ok, and Bonnie? She didn't do anything bad to you either. The only reason you didn't like her was she went out with Ross. Now you're doing the same thing with Emily. If Ross was getting married to either Julie or Bonnie instead of Emily, you would have the same feelings you have now"

Rachel tried to refute this but couldn't because she knew deep down that it was perfectly true.

"Ok, well yeah, maybe I would but so? What does that matter? Ross still loves me too. Come on Joey. He said my name! My name! Do you honestly think that meant nothing?" Rachel asked.

"Rach, he was still in shock from seeing you. He didn't expect you to come. You rejected the invitation, you didn't come with us to London and you didn't come to the rehearsal. If it wasn't for the fact that Phoebe called me to tell me you were coming, I would've been just as shocked as him. Do you honestly think that if you had come with us in the first place or if you stayed in New York, he still would have said your name?" Joey asked.

"I….I….I don't know. I think he possibly would have" Rachel said. She wasn't feeling good about her reasoning skills at that moment.

"Rach, you had your chance with Ross. Several times. You chose not to get back together with him. Hell, you even set him up with Emily. Remember?" Joey asked.

"Well, yeah. I do remember that" Rachel said.

"Well then, let him move on, Rach. He did the same thing for you, didn't he?" Joey asked.

Rachel suddenly got tears in her eyes as she stared at one of her closest friends.

"...Joey, do you have any idea how hard that's going to be for me? Ross was the first actual relationship I ever had" Rachel said, choking on every other word.

"I understand that, Rach, but simply because he was the first real relationship you had doesn't mean it's the only real relationship you'll ever have. There are plenty of other guys out there for you" Joey said.

"Oh, really? Where?" Rachel asked, practically spitting out her words.

After staying silent for a moment, Joey ended up shrugging and saying "We could date for a while"

Rachel's eyebrows rose. "What?"

"I mean, we could probably try something if you want. I know I haven't been the best boyfriend to most girls but we could give us a try" Joey said.

Rachel simply scoffed. "No, Joey. I love you, I really do but not like that…..I love Ross….and while I was going to keep my mouth shut for a while, I can't hold it in anymore….I need to tell Ross how I feel"

"Rach, I'm beggin' ya' here. Please don't do this. This is not going to end the way you think it is. People are going to get hurt, including you" Joey said.

"I don't agree with that, Joey. I really don't. Ross still loves me. I know he does. He just needs to be reminded" Rachel said.

"Rach, if you go through with this, you could cost Ross a marriage. Do you remember the year he got divorced from Carol? Do you remember how hard that was for him to get over that? Do you want him to go through that again?" Joey asked.

"...Well you know something, Joey? He won't have to because he'll have me this time" Rachel said. She got up and started running in the direction of the hospital where Ross was.

"Rachel! Rach! Wait! Don't do this!" Joey shouted but his efforts were in vain. Rachel was out of reach, both physically and mentally.

Rachel Green ran towards the hospital. She was finally going to do what she came here to do and nobody was going to stop her this time.


	12. Chapter 12

_**(A/N: Response to Guest Viewer: Thank you for the feedback. I'll try to be more accurate next time).**_

* * *

_*Meanwhile, as Rachel runs to the hospital Ross was kept*_

Monica and Chandler were seated in a restaurant. Chandler knew he was supposed to be enjoying himself but he just couldn't. He knew why Richard came and he knew why he asked Monica to lunch.

This wasn't even fair, Chandler thought. He practically isn't even being given a chance. He didn't have Monica and Richard's relationship. They hardly even started and now he just shows up out of nowhere and wants a second chance?

His frustration was visible to Monica as she looked over her menu. She knew what was eating at Chandler and she didn't know how to get him to calm down. She thought that perhaps maybe some small talk would drive the conversation away from the elephant in the room.

"So, Chandler….how has your day been with Joey?" Monica asked.

Chandler looked up from his menu. He started to ease as he was with a woman he had known for several years and was wanting to start a relationship with but it still wasn't enough to clear the frustrations in his mind.

"It was alright, I spent pretty much the whole day with Joey as a sort of apology for blowing him off our first day here" Chandler said.

"Well that was very sweet of you, Chandler. I'm sure Joey really appreciates it" Monica said.

Chandler smiled. This was going better than before. He decided to keep the ball rolling.

"Yeah, well….he's been one of my best friends for years now and I don't like being mean to him" Chandler said.

"Well you know, the 2 of you are very cute together. I mean, if I didn't know any better I would have thought the two of you were-" Monica said.

"Let's not move there" Chandler said, seeing where Monica was going with that statement.

Monica stopped her sentence and nodded. "Right. I'm sorry"

After a moment of awkward silence after the exchange, they ended up laughing at it.

"This is nice" Monica said.

Chandler gave a solemn nod. "Yeah. Yeah it really is"

More silence engulfed the space around them as they waited for the waiter to come by. Chandler decided that this couldn't wait anymore and finally discuss the topic he was really interested in.

"So…..how was lunch with Richard?" Chandler asked.

As he asked, Monica spit up her wine. She dreaded this question would come along.

"...It was fine" Monica said, cleaning herself up.

Chandler gave a sigh at this. He didn't want to play any games.

"Look, Monica…...I think I know why Richard really came here….and I think I know why he asked you to lunch….I'm right, aren't I?" Chandler asked, already knowing what the answer was but was hoping, just hoping he would be wrong.

After several moments of silence, Monica slightly nodded her head up and down.

"...Yeah….you're right" Monica said.

Chandler closed his eyes as he felt the sting of her answer fill his veins. He wanted to respond with something like "Please don't take him back" or "Give us a chance" but for whatever reasons, he couldn't utter them.

"Chandler, I know this is very awkward for you right now and I know it's not fair to put you through something like this but let's just try to have a good time, ok?" Monica asked.

Chandler gave a gloomy nod and said "Can you at least tell me what you told him?"

"...I told him I didn't know what to think…..Chandler, I know this isn't fair and I know you want to give us a chance but you know, he asked me something that kind of had me thinking. You've only just started wanting a serious relationship in the past few years and I don't know how serious you are about us. Richard wants to marry me one day and he's more open to having kids now. I mean, it's not really at the level I wanted it to be 2 years ago but it's definitely an improvement…..do you think you could do something like that?" Monica asked.

Chandler stayed quiet for a moment. He was always scared of a committed relationship. Not because of the thought of being closed off to other women but because he didn't know if he was ready for them.

"Well that's a fair question, Mon and quite frankly I don't know but simply because I don't know doesn't mean I don't want to someday. I've been living this bachelor life for years now and I've gotten nowhere in my love life from it…...I feel something between us, Mon, I really do. Maybe that's just my feeling, I don't know but it's something I've never felt with any other woman before" Chandler said.

Monica stared and listened carefully at the man as he poured his heart out to her.

"I know we're not officially together and that I have no right telling you what to do with your love life but I really want to give us a try. If the day comes when I'm ready to propose to you, I swear I'll find the most expensive ring money can buy and offer my life to you. From then, I'll try my damnedest give you the family you want. If you don't want to and you really want to get back together with Richard…...It'll hurt…..but I'll understand. He….really is a good guy….there's no doubt he would make a good husband" Chandler said, choking at the last part of his sentence.

Monica had to admit, that got a few tears out of her. She could just tell how serious Chandler was about this. She never once saw this side of him before.

The 28 year old woman reached out and kissed Chandler on the cheek.

"Thank you, Chandler. I realize how hard this is for you and I appreciate the sincerity…..I think I still need to think this over" Monica said.

That wasn't the answer Chandler wanted but it was kind of the one he was expecting so he decided to just man up and accept it.

"I understand…...Let's just try and have a good time for the rest of the night, huh?" Chandler asked.

"Yeah….that'd be nice" Monica said with a smile.

A waiter came by and wrote down their main courses. The rest of the night was filled with laughter and recalling fond memories between the two of them. A decision had to be made by Monica in the next 12 hours. She would have to break a heart of one of two men she cared deeply for. However, she knew it would be the right thing to do. She thinks she may already have her decision.


	13. Chapter 13

_*At the Hospital*_

* * *

Rachel ran inside the hospital and asked the nurse at the front desk to see Ross Geller.

"Yes of course but you must be swift about it. Visiting will be ending soon and Mr. Geller needs his rest" The nurse said.

"Yes. I'll be as quick as I can. Thank you" Rachel said. She walked in a fast pace towards Ross's room.

As she walked up to the door, it opened and out came Emily. They bumped into each other as Rachel was going in.

Once they composed themselves, they greeted each other.

"Hello, Rachel. It's getting late. What are you doing here at this hour?" Emily asked.

"Oh, well….you know I just decided to come pay Ross a visit. I….sort of feel bad for leaving so soon this morning, you know?" Rachel said.

Emily waved it off. "Oh no, you're fine, Rachel. He was alright. I kept him company the whole time. There were actually a few times when he got a little carried away if you know what I mean"

She giggled a little bit after her last sentence. Rachel joined her with a fake laugh.

"Yeah….anyway, where're you going?" Rachel asked.

"Oh, I'm just going to get Ross a glass of water and then I'll be off for the night. I need to spend some time packing anyway since we'll be leaving for New York soon" Emily said.

"Yeah….that'll be good" Rachel said.

"Yeah, it will. Anyway, you can go see Ross if you want. I'll be back shortly" Emily said. She left to get Ross water.

Rachel went inside and there lay Ross in his bed (Still with casts) as he had been the last few days. She really hated seeing him like this and she still blamed Emily for how he was.

Despite this, however, he still had a smile on his face. He turned to Rachel and said "Oh, hey Rach. I didn't expect you for the rest of the day. Come on in. Have a seat"

Rachel sat down on a chair and scooted in closer to Ross's bedside.

"So….what'd you do today?" Ross asked.

"Nothing much after lunch with Monica and Richard. I just got back from sightseeing with Joey, actually" Rachel said.

Ross nodded. "That's good. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself and you know, I'm really glad you're here….actually, you know, I'm also glad we have some time alone together"

Rachel's eyes brightened at this declaration. "Really? Y-you are?"

She said this with some measures of hope in her voice.

"Yeah….listen. I know things have been...tense between us, you know with us breaking up again along with our constant fighting and bickering but you know, I wouldn't be married to Emily right now if it wasn't for you. So…..thank you" Ross said. He managed to reach his head across and kiss Rachel's cheek which caused her to give a blank stare. That was not what she wanted to hear

Ross let out a small groan as he moved his head back onto the pillow.

"You shouldn't do that, Ross. You're hurt badly" Rachel said.

"Oh, I'm alright. You don't have to worry about me, Rach. Really" Ross said.

Rachel looked down at the floor, solemnly. She knew what she had to say and needed to say it fast.

"Ross….I need to ask you something….It's….kind of hard for me to say but it's on my chest for the past few days" Rachel said.

Ross suddenly gave a look of concern. "What is it, Rach? Are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine, don't worry about that Ross. I was just wondering…..do you ever still think about….us? You know, when we were….together?" Rachel asked.

A surprised expression appeared on Ross's face as he was asked this question. It was not something he was expecting to talk about with her right now (Or ever again for that matter).

"Wow…...I mean, I sometimes do. You were one of the best relationships I ever had" Ross said.

"Do you….still have feelings for me?" Rachel asked, moving closer and closer to her point with every question she had.

"...I mean, I still have some feelings for you, Rach but you know we were together for a year. I don't think it's ever going to just go away but now I see you as just a good friend" Ross said. He was getting curious (And kind of worried about this line of questioning).

This stung Rachel but she wasn't going to give up that easily.

"...Ross…..I have to be honest with you…...I…..I didn't really come here to wish you and Emily well" Rachel said.

"...Wh-What do you mean?" Ross asked. He was getting nervous.

"I…..I came to tell you that I still love you" Rachel said.

Silence. That's what came after this declaration. Pure silence. They both just stared at each other for the longest time.

After what seemed like an hour (But what was really only about a minute), Ross spoke up.

"...What did you say, Rach?" Ross asked.

"...I still love you, Ross. I really, really do. I realized I didn't feel anything for Joshua. That was only me trying to get over you and while I know this is totally inappropriate and that you care for Emily but I know you love me too" Rachel declared.

"Rach, I-" Ross tried to say before Rachel interrupted him.

"No, Ross. Please let me say what I have to say...You said my name. Can you honestly say that meant nothing?" Rachel asked.

Ross's eyes began to sulk and his skin was starting to drip with sweat.

"Rach...that was an accident. I didn't expect to see you. I wasn't thinking clearly and your name just blurted out" Ross said.

"That is bullshit Ross. You know it meant something and you know you still love me. You've only forgotten how in love we are with each other. I'm going to remind you" Rachel said.

"Rach, please stop with this. I'll always care about you but I love Emily now. Rach, she's my wife, for god's sake! I wouldn't have asked her to marry me if I wasn't in love with her" Ross said.

"You don't love her, Ross. You really don't. I'm going to prove it to you" Rachel said.

She suddenly grabbed both sides of Ross's face and she moved her lips onto Ross's. His eyes widened at the lip lock and tried to pull away. However, with both an arm and leg cast and his body full of medication, he didn't have the strength to do so.

As the seconds went by, Rachel did not seem like she was going to pull away soon despite his objections and that was an issue for what was about to occur.

The door opened and Emily came inside with a glass of water.

"Sorry it took so long, darling. The line was- Oh my god!" Emily said. She dropped the glass and it fell onto the floor, shattering it.

Rachel parted from Ross and they both turned to Emily, Ross with a frightened expression on his face.

"Emily! I swear this is not what it looks like! I didn't-" Ross tried to explain but it was all for nought as she ran out of the room before he even started to explain himself.

"Emily! Wait! Don't leave!" Ross cried out to his wife. He was so desperate, he even tried moving out of his bed before Rachel grabbed him and pushed him back onto the bed.

"Ross! Stop! You're not in any condition to be moving around like this. You need to stay put!" Rachel said.

"I can't just let her go off like that! I need to explain what happened" Ross said.

"Ross, you don't need to explain anything to her. We're in love with each other" Rachel said.

"Rach…...I'm sorry…...but I can't love you the way you want me to….I'm married. I have a wife. I made a vow to her. I can't just betray her like this" Ross said.

"But Ross-" Rachel protested before Ross interrupted.

"No, Rach….We can't do this….I'm really, really sorry" Ross said.

Rachel had an expressionless look on her face but it had heartbreak written all over it. She didn't say anything. She just stood up and walked out the room without saying another word.

As she left the hospital, tears flowed down her face. She called for a taxi for a ride back to her hotel. Tomorrow was going to be a long, painful day.


	14. Chapter 14

The rest of the evening was pure and utter hell for the friends. Absolutely no one had a good night.

Chandler was so shaken about whether Monica would choose him or Richard, Monica was struggling about the choice to go down a familiar path or venture on to a new one, Rachel was crying her eyes out in her hotel room pillow, Joey was beating himself up for not stopping Rachel soon enough and Ross couldn't get a hold of Emily anywhere.

However, the nightmare that some people were living in would soon come to an end because Monica officially made her decision and was now walking towards the entrance to Heathrow airport where a certain eye doctor was waiting for her.

They greeted each other with a deep hug, both caressing each other in a caring manner. After what seemed like hours, they pulled apart and looked each other in the eye.

"Hey, Mon" Richard said.

"Hi, Richard" Monica replied.

"So…...have you thought about….you know…..us?" Richard asked.

Monica looked to the ground solemnly and stayed silent for a moment. Then she looked up back at the handsome middle aged man.

"Yeah…..I did" Monica said.

Richard breathed deep in and out through his nose. He was praying that her answer would be that she did in fact want to get back together.

"...Well?" Richard asked.

Monica sighed a long and sorrowful sigh. This was not going to be easy.

"...Richard….you are without a doubt one of the sweetest men on the face of the planet. Coming down here to tell me you love me, in London of all places, it's every little girl's dream. I still have goosebumps in my arms and legs just thinking about it" Monica said.

Richard nodded. So far, so good, he thought.

"I also can't begin to express how joyful I am in the fact that you're more open to having kids now. I really tried to get over that when we were dating but I just can't go on in life without kids, Richard. When you described how you first held Michelle in your arms, that's what I want. To feel responsible for another human being's health and well-being, to know that that human being will grow up calling me 'Mom'. That would just complete my life" Monica said.

"And I would love to be the one to father your children, Mon" Richard said.

Monica nodded. "I know you would, Richard. You were the best relationship I ever had. You were so mature and loving. It killed me letting you go….but…...I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go again"

Richard suddenly fell far down in spirit when she said the last part of her sentence. Despite this, however, he kept a straight face.

"Richard….If I hadn't started seeing Chandler the way I have these past several days, I would be saying yes over and over to you….but Richard, Chandler is one of the most caring, passionate loving people I know. He's been dying to have a serious relationship forever but has always been afraid of it. He's wanted a real girlfriend for ages but never found the right one. The same kind of applies to me too and quite frankly, It just feels right between us. I really don't know how to explain it. Having a relationship with your best friend...it's just something that only happens in movies and TV shows…..but now I have a chance to make that work with him in real life. I can't just let that pass, Richard…..so I'm going to have to say no to your offer…..I'm really, really sorry" Monica said. Despite the fact that it hurt her to say this to one of the men she's ever been in love with, her words were passionate and sincere.

Richard listened carefully. Every word she told him was like a dagger to his heart. However, he knew that if he really loved Monica, truly and deeply loved her, he needed to step aside so she could be happy.

Not saying a word, he just stepped forward and gave Monica another deep hug, which she returned. After about 2 minutes, they parted. If Monica could look carefully, she swear she could see a tear run down Richard's cheek.

"I understand, Mon…...Chandler's a lucky guy. And could you do me a favor? When you go to him, remind him every day of what he has…..god knows I needed that" Richard said.

Monica reached her head up and gave Richard a kiss on the cheek.

"...Goodbye, Richard. Take care of yourself for me, alright?" Monica asked.

Richard slowly nodded. "Yeah….I will….thanks, Mon"

After one last hug, she turned and walked away, leaving Richard to himself. This was not the way he wanted this trip to go as one would expect. However, it was good that he did this. At least he wouldn't spend years upon years wondering if they actually would have gotten back together.

He turned and walked inside the airport. His flight would be leaving soon and he had a lot of appointments to do. Maybe he would give his blind date from last week another try. She wasn't Monica but she was nice and very pretty.

* * *

_*Hotel, 20 minutes later*_

Chandler was brushing his teeth. He hadn't heard from Monica at all last night after their date. He was starting to wonder if letting her come onto him that one drunken night was a mistake because if she said no, he didn't know how he would recover.

Joey had gone to eat breakfast and Chandler was alone in the hotel room, as per usual.

As he spit out the toothpaste and rinsed off his toothbrush, a knock on the door followed. He went to open the door

It was probably a housekeeper, he thought. However, once the door opened, he was attacked in the face by a pair of lips.

Monica Geller placed her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a nice, passionate kiss. Chandler soon returned the kiss once he figured out who was kissing him. He placed his arm around her waist and kissed her back.

They stayed in that position for who knows how long? All that mattered was that both of them were in each other's arms and they didn't plan on letting go. Not right now.

When they finally parted, Chandler said "Well is this how we're going to be greeting each other now because I like it"

Monica just smiled. "Chandler…...would you like to go out with me?"

Chandler's eyes brightened up and he felt his heart practically pump out of his chest.

"Yes….yes, Monica, I will go out with you" Chandler said and with that, they gave each other a nice deep hug.

There was one question that was still burning in their minds, however…..what were they going to say to the others about them?


	15. Chapter 15

Rachel Greene stepped up to the house of Emily's bridesmaid, Felicity. She had heard this was where she was staying from her housekeeper.

It was an incredibly emotional day for the friends. Ross was sulking the whole day as he hadn't heard a word from his newlywed wife. What made this worse was that he was supposed to be let out of the hospital tomorrow and they were supposed to all go back home to New York together. Now it looked like he was going to get divorce papers for a marriage that barely lasted 48 hours.

Rachel was still heartbroken as well about Ross's rejection. However, she didn't blame him. She blamed herself. She waited to tell him how she felt when it was too late. She expected him to remember all their good times and leave someone he was getting married too with just the words 'I love you' and reality came up to slap her in the face. It was now time to correct her mistake from last night and end the emotional roller coaster for everyone once and for all.

She knocked on the door and waited for a few moments. Noises were heard from the other side of the door but the door stayed closed. Rachel had a feeling she was being watched from the peephole on the other side.

After knocking again, knowing that someone was in the house, she was greeted with the friendliest offer life could give her at this moment.

"_Go away, Greene! You've done enough damage at this point!"_

The voice was muffled but it was clear it was Emily Waltham (Or Waltham-Geller in this instance). Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Emily, please let me in so I can talk to you about this" Rachel said.

There was no response on the other end but she could still sense a presence from behind the door. A few minutes went by before Rachel started getting frustrated and put her foot down.

"Look, Emily! I know you're upset with me right now and rightfully so but I'm not leaving until you talk to me. So you might as well just open the door so we can talk about this and if you don't ever want to see me again, then I'll leave and never bother you again. Until then, I'm staying right here" Rachel said.

After a few moments of silence, she could hear some rattling from behind the door and soon, the door opened. Emily was in a bathrobe with messy hair and puffed up eyes.

"What do you want, Greene? Come to see me like this? Come to gloat about your victory over me? It's pretty clear you and Ross are back together now. You can't let that be enough?" Emily asked.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "You really like jumping to conclusions, don't you?"

Emily just let out a small chuckle. "Well, it's not exactly easy for a wife to see her husband make out with someone he said he was over now, is it?"

"You don't know anything about what happened last night and that's why I'm here to talk about it. Now are we just going to sit out here with you in your bathrobe or are you going to invite me inside?" Rachel asked.

Emily begrudgingly gestured for Rachel to come inside. Rachel went inside and found her way to the living area. Emily went to what Rachel assumed to be the kitchen.

"Do you want any tea? I was just making some for myself. Felicity is out with a new beau as usual so I'm just here alone" Emily said.

"Yes I would. Thanks" Rachel said as she sat down on a chair.

Soon, Emily came out and gave a cup of tea to Rachel.

Awkward silence filled the air as both the women took sips of their tea. Rachel knew she had to be the one to break the ice so she went for it.

"So…...how are you doing?" Rachel asked.

Emily gave a slight glare as she swallowed her drink.

"Well….I'm at my friend's house alone, hiding from my own husband and in a bathrobe. I'm doing just dandy" Emily said sarcastically.

"Hey, I was just asking" Rachel said, defensively.

"How did you even find me anyway?" Emily asked.

"Your housekeeper told me you were staying with your friend Felicity. I got the address from Joey" Rachel said.

Emily rolled her eyes. She told the housekeeper not to tell anyone where she was. There was no doubt that she was going to talk to her about this soon enough.

"Well, you wanted me Greene. Now you have me. Just what do you want?" Emily asked, putting her tea down on a nearby table.

Rachel sighed. This was going to be very painful for her but she knew it was the right thing for her to do. She had to let Ross go.

"...What happened between me and Ross last night meant nothing to Ross. I was the one who instigated the kiss" Rachel said.

"Not shocking there. I knew inviting you to the wedding was a bad idea" Emily said.

"Thanks. That really means a lot that you would keep me from coming to my own friend's wedding" Rachel said sarcastically.

Emily let out a small chuckle. "I really wish you stop this little innocent act you're pulling. I know why you came here at the last minute"

"What?" Rachel asked, confusedly.

"There it is again. Stop it with that. I know you came here to break up the wedding. It was written all over your face the whole night and yes, I did notice. You didn't come here because you wanted to see us get married, you came here to ruin it" Emily accused.

Rachel stayed silent for a moment before letting out a big sigh.

"...Alright. Yes. I admit. I came here to tell Ross that I still loved him" Rachel said.

Emily nodded. "Finally the truth comes out"

"Listen, Emily. Now that I look back on it, I know me coming here was a mistake but I can't go back in time and stop myself. What I can do however is put some sense into you" Rachel said.

"Oh, really? And just how do you plan to do that?" Emily asked, scoffing.

Rachel responded by shuffling into her coat pocket. She took out a piece of paper and gave it to Emily who hesitantly took it. She looked at it and saw it to be a boarding pass from London to New York.

"...Just what is this supposed to be?" Emily asked.

"It's your ticket to New York" Rachel said.

Emily let out a small laugh. "You honestly think I'm going with you?"

"You're not?" Rachel asked.

"What's the point? What I saw last night shows me that you're not over each other and that he still loves you. I don't want to give up my life here just for a marriage that won't even last" Emily declared.

Rachel shook her head. "How do you even know? You haven't even started"

"It doesn't need to. With him saying your name and seeing him kiss you…..I can't deal with this. I've been hurt before in relationships, Greene. I refuse to be hurt any more than I already have so far" Emily said.

"It sounds to me like you're only hurting yourself in this scenario. Do you honestly think that if Ross felt the same for me that I do for him that I would be here right now trying to convince you to come back with us?" Rachel asked.

Emily shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he just wants a trophy wife while he has you as a mistress on the side. You can go about and have a little affair just for the excitement of it"

"Everything I do has to have some ulterior motive to you, doesn't it?" Rachel asked.

"Well you've proven that to be the case so far, haven't you?" Emily bluntly asked.

Rachel had to admit, she had a point there. However, she remained on point.

"Emily…...Ross and I are over. He made that perfectly clear to me last night. Do you know what he said to me after I told him the words 'I love you'? He said to me that he didn't feel the same. He told me that he loved you" Rachel said.

There was a medium sized pause between the two of them. They just stared at each other before Emily spoke up.

"...He told you what?" Emily asked.

"He told me he didn't love me the way he used to….let me tell you, I've had a few hard blows in relationships before but that was the one that really threw me down under. We were together for a year and we were crazy about each other. Do you know how hard it is to tell someone you love them and not have them say it back?" Rachel asked, with small tears rolling down her face.

"Well…..Ross probably does" Emily said, recalling the time Ross first said she loved him when she was leaving from the airport.

Rachel ignored that little comment and continued on.

"Anyway, my point is you don't have to worry about me and Ross anymore…..it's not going to happen….but you know what can happen? You and him" Rachel said.

Emily stared down at the floor, deep in thought. Already, her and Ross were having some difficulties with their marriage and at the moment, it seemed hopeless…..but did she really want to throw it all away so soon?

"You have a choice, Emily: You can come with us back to New York and you can take care of Ross like you wanted. You can go back to being crazy about each other and you can talk through your problems because that's what husbands and wives should do. They should work through their problems, not give up at the first hurdles. You can do that or you can stay here, keep your job, send divorce papers and pretend you never even knew us. I won't judge you for that. We're a tough crowd to get used to. I get that. Here's something I will judge you for: Acting like he doesn't love you. When Ross Geller tells you he loves you, he means it and there's no doubt in my mind he'll treat you like the most important person in your life day and night" Rachel said in a tiny speech.

Emily didn't let out a word. She just looked between Rachel and her boarding pass.

After a considerable amount of time passed without either of them saying a word to each other, Rachel decided she said all that she could and stood up.

"I have to get going, Emily. It's a long day tomorrow and I have to go pack. If you do decide to come with us, I'll see you tomorrow. If you don't…...it was nice knowing you" Rachel said.

She slowly walked out of the room, leaving Emily with her thoughts. She had no idea what was going through her mind but she was certain she made some sort of impact. Whether or not that impact would fix the problems caused the past few days was going to be answered tomorrow. Rachel was still miserable but she knew she did the right thing. She couldn't get in between Ross and his happiness anymore.

She called for a taxi to go back to the hotel. She needed to start packing for her flight back to New York tomorrow.


	16. Chapter 16

4 of the friends were seated in one are at a gate to New York City, New York at Heathrow airport.

3 of the friends were seated at chairs by the gate while the last one (Ross) sat in a wheelchair beside them, his arm and leg still in casts (And would remain that way for several more weeks).

Ross felt horrible. First, he messes things up with Emily at their wedding, then Rachel kisses him while Emily watched and now it seemed like she wasn't even going to come with him. The one friend that wasn't there, Joey went out to search for Emily at a desperate plea by Ross to make sure she was here or not.

Joey came back and Ross turned to him in his chair.

"Any sign of her, Joey?" Ross asked.

Joey just gave a sigh and shook his head. "Sorry, pal"

Ross just nodded then proceeded to bury his face in his non-casted hand. He sure did have his fair share of screw ups but this topped the list. If he hadn't been so stupid, he would have been on a beach in Athens right now next to his new wife after going sightseeing at the Parthenon. Instead, here he was: miserable, crippled and now looking at a new world record for the shortest marriage in history.

Rachel sat in her seat, just aching with guilt. She never should have come here. She should have just stayed in New York to care for Phoebe like she was supposed to. Now her and Ross were both miserable and it would be a while before they would be truly happy again.

Monica stood up from her seat and went to kiss Ross on the head.

"Sorry, honey. It'll be alright. We promise" Monica said.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Mon but I don't think I'm going to feel alright in a long time after today" Ross said.

"Ross, what the hell happened between the two of you? Last time we saw you together, you were doing just fine" Chandler said.

Ross didn't tell the other friends what happened. He didn't want to put Rachel in any awkward situation with the rest of their friends.

"...We just had a big disagreement" Was all that Ross said. It wasn't a satisfactory answer to the rest of the group but it was clear that was all they were going to get out of him.

"_Final boarding call for BA176 for New York City. Final Boarding Call" _The announcer said over the intercom.

Everyone stood up. That was them. Monica stood behind Ross and pushed his chair to the gate. Ross was more than happy to wheel himself but considering he only had one arm in tact, it wasn't really possible for the time being.

Ross initially wanted to protest, just give a little bit more time to see if she would really come but he knew it would be in vain. She wasn't coming. The next time he would probably hear from her is when she sends divorce papers. Ross didn't know this was something he would get used to when he divorced Carol but that seemed to be where his life was going.

One by one, the friends had their tickets checked by the gate agent. When it was Ross's turn, he presented his pass to the agent. Representatives came and moved him onto an aisle chair so they take him to his seat while the wheelchair would be stored in cargo. He felt humiliated and could sense that everyone was staring at him. However, at this point, he as expected felt more horrible about his about to be failed marriage. He never even got a chance to say goodbye.

As the representative wheeled him down the gate to the plane and Ross sunk in his seat, a voice called out from behind them.

"_Wait!"_

Ross's head turned and suddenly his eyes opened wide. It was his newlywed wife, Emily.

Emily ran up to the representative and said "I can take it from here. I'm his wife"

The representative stood silent for a second and said "Alright. That's fine. Make sure he gets in his seat properly. He's fragile at this moment"

"Yes sir. Thank you" Emily said. Ross's heart melted with warmth as he smiled up at his wife who got behind his chair.

"You came" He said.

"Well of course. We're married and married people should work out their problems, not give up at the first obstacle that comes our way. I want to give us a chance, Ross" Emily said, smiling back.

"Well then….what are we waiting for?" Ross said.

Emily nodded and pushed Ross down the gate. It was a vigorous process to get Ross from the airport's aisle chair to his seat but it was eventually done and Emily was seated right next to him.

The other friend's had stunned expressions on their faces when they saw Emily. They knew there was a slight chance she would show up but they weren't expecting her to show up at the last minute. However, it was clear that she was coming back with them and soon their stunned expressions turned into happy ones.

Despite what one may think, Rachel was the happiest among them. She could see that despite being immobile on his right side, he was as happy as one could be and right now, that was all that mattered to her. His happiness. However, that left her with one other dilemma: She was single again and that wasn't something she was screaming for joy over.

She looked to her right to see Joey sitting right by her. She tapped on his shoulder.

Joey's head turned from the airplane window to Rachel.

"Yeah, Rach? What's up?" Joey asked.

"Listen, Joey….I wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened the other night. You were right. I need to let Ross go so he can be happy and I was completely out of line when I just ran off like that" Rachel said.

Joey nodded. "It's alright, Rach. I know how hard it must have been, seeing him and Emily like that"

"Yeah. But now he's happy and that's what counts" Rachel said.

"Good. I'm glad you think so" Joey said with a smile.

"Listen…..remember how you offered to take me out sometime? Is that...you know….off the table?" Rachel asked.

Joey could see where this was going and let out a little smile. "No. No it's not. Do you want to go out sometime?"

Rachel gave a little smile of her own. "Yeah. Yeah I would….where do you want to start?"

Joey shrugged. "Coffee at Central Perk?"

Rachel giggled. "Where else would it be?"

After they both let out a little chuckle, they gave each other a hug.

Across the aisle from them was Monica and Chandler and they were listening in on the whole thing.

"Wow….Ross and Emily, me and you, Joey and Rachel. This has been quite an eventful week, hasn't it?" Monica asked.

"Have we got stories to tell Phoebe or what?" Chandler asked.

"Stories? You mean you want to tell them?" Monica asked.

Chandler stood silent for a moment. To be honest, he still didn't know if they should tell them. He kind of liked going behind everyone's back. He felt it would make their relationship more exciting.

"Well…..I don't know. Do you?" Chandler asked.

Monica shrugged. "Neither do I"

"...Well….why don't we just tell them when we feel it's right to? It's our relationship and we can do whatever we want with it" Chandler said.

Monica smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I agree...I really am glad things turned out the way did, Chandler. I feel like there can be something really special between us"

"...Me too" Chandler said. He gave a quick kiss to Monica's head and Monica gave a quick kiss to Chandler's cheek so nobody would see. Then Monica started reading a magazine while Chandler read a book he carried onto the flight, acting like nothing had happened.

As for the newlywed couple, they were talking with one another.

"I'm really sorry for what you saw, Emily. I swear I tried to stop it but she kept insisting and she just flat out kissed me. I tried to pull away but I just couldn't" Ross said.

"I understand, darling. It's alright now. Rachel came by last night and explained the whole thing to me. As long as you didn't kiss her back" Emily said.

"You're not….still mad at Rachel, are you?" Ross asked, sheepishly.

"Well…...I still can't bring myself to forgive her for what she did…..but if we take one step at a time, I can bring myself to be true friends with her" Emily said.

Ross gave a small smile. "Thank you, honey"

Emily grabbed onto his face and pulled him in for a kiss.

The last few days haven't exactly been ideal for any of the friends. They were clobbered with drama, emotions and flat out heartaches. However, everything seemed to end the way that was good for all the friends.

There was just one thing that was still left on everyone's mind.

"Hey Chandler, did you call Gunther to have him look after Phoebe?" Joey asked.

"No. I thought one of you were going to do it" Chandler said.

"I didn't call anyone at home" Monica said.

"Neither did I" Rachel said. Suddenly everyone was getting worried.

"So wait…...Phoebe's been home alone for almost a week in late stage pregnancy with no one to help her?" Monica asked.

The group was then enhanced in a chilling quietness before Chandler broke the silence.

"Oh shi-"

_**(A/N: Well that's the end of my story. I hope you enjoyed it. I certainly enjoyed writing it. Feel free to let me know how you felt about it).**_


End file.
